Talks needed on allocations for opposition MPs, says Anwar

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today said he did not want to be cruel or unfair in the matter of allocations for opposition MPs, but that the process of channelling funds should begin with negotiations.

He also said he had never stated that no provisions were available for opposition MPs. 

"When Pagoh (Muhyiddin Yassin) was prime minister, we in the opposition received no allocations," he said. 

"So this means that Pagoh was previously unfair, and according to Marang (Abdul Hadi Awang), cruel. 

"What happened under the administration of Bera (Ismail Sabri Yaakob) was that we began with negotiations."

Anwar was responding to an additional question by Shahidan Kasim (PN-Arau) who previously questioned the lack of allocations for opposition MPs in the new budget for 2023. 

According to the Prime Minister's Office, allocations for MPs in the opposition are given on a discretionary basis.  

Anwar said talks were needed so that all parties involved could find an appropriate method. 

He said a decision on allocations could be made immediately if such talks could be finalised. 

"I do not reject the principle of giving allocations to MPs from the opposition as is done for government MPs," he added.